76ers limit short-handed Magic to 61 points
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers won a game they were "supposed to win" Monday night, in the estimation of coach Doug Collins. But they lost a player they could ill afford to lose.
Spencer Hawes had 21 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, as the Sixers sent the short-handed Orlando Magic to its 10th straight loss, 78-61, at the Wells Fargo Center.
But the Sixers lost forward Thaddeus Young to a strained left hamstring in the second quarter. Young, the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, suffered the injury while diving for a loose ball near the Philadelphia bench.
"He's going to be out for a while," Collins said.
"It's huge," Hawes said of the injury. "Thad does so much for this team on both ends of the floor, (and) in the locker room. ... You can't just replace someone like that, what he brings every night, so we're going to have to figure out as a team how we're going to be able to compensate for what we lose without his presence out there."
Nick Young added 15 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 13 points and 14 assists for the Sixers (21-26), who won their third straight. They limited Orlando to an arena-low in points, on 33.8-percent shooting. It was also the second fewest points allowed by the Sixers since the shot clock was introduced in 1954.
The Magic went 1-for-12 from 3-point range, with the lone conversion, by Josh McRoberts, coming in the fourth quarter.
"I thought defensively we did a really good job," said Magic center Nik Vucevic, who as a rookie last year played for the Sixers. "They only scored 78 points ... but we couldn't hit a shot."
E'Twaun Moore paced the Magic (14-34) with 18 points, equaling his career high.
Orlando, already without Arron Afflalo (calf), Jameer Nelson (forearm), Glen Davis (foot), DeQuan Jones (foot) and Al Harrington (knee), also had guard J.J. Redick miss the game with a shoulder injury, meaning the Magic was without its top four scorers.
"You can't get trapped when you see (six) guys are hurt," Hawes said. "You have to go out and take care of business."
"I really give credit to the character of the guys that suit up and play and are in that locker room, whether who's playing or not playing," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "They had it in their minds that we were going to come here and play hard and try to get a win, and nothing less."
Philadelphia was leading just 44-41 early in the third quarter before going on a 14-1 run that included seven points by Hawes. That made it 58-42 with 2:11 left in the quarter.
The Sixers extended their lead to 68-48 early in the final period.
Hawes, who shot 9-for-17 from the floor, equaled his second-highest point total of the season. The double-double was his third in the last sixth games, and his seventh of the year.
"I think I've been getting pretty good shots," he said. "I just haven't been making them until tonight."
He said he was motivated in part to go against Vucevic.
"I couldn't let him go out and get the best of me tonight," Hawes said, smiling.
Vucevic, who began the night fourth in the league in rebounding, finished with nine points and 14 boards, but shot just 3-for-10 from the floor.
Lavoy Allen had 10 points for the Sixers.
Andrew Nicholson finished with 11 points and Moe Harkless had 10 for the Magic.
Nick Young scored 10 points in the first half, as the Sixers assumed a 42-35 lead. Moore countered with 12 for Orlando.
NOTES: Sixers center Andrew Bynum, who has yet to play this season because of bone bruises to both knees, said before the game that he expects to return at some point later this month, but declined to give a target date. Bynum, who had previously said he hopes to be back by the All-Star break, is still feeling pain in his left knee. ... The Sixers' three-game winning streak matches their longest of the season. ... The Sixers had season lows of five three throws attempted and three made. They were also 3-for-20 on 3-point attempts. ... Sixers guard Jason Richardson missed his seventh straight game with a sore left knee, and Collins said Richardson is "probably going to be out for a while." ... Actor Will Smith, one of the Sixers' part owners, was in attendance. ... Holiday's double-double was his 13th of the season.
